Santa Barbara County Public Works has wrapped up the Toro Canyon Oil Water Separator Project, a multimillion-dollar effort designed to stop crude oil from seeping into Toro Canyon Creek and protect the surrounding environment. On October 7, the Board of Supervisors approved the final accounting for the $2.5 million project, completed by Innovative Construction Services, Inc. Records of the Toro Canyon oil seep date back to 1882, when Occidental Mining and Petroleum Corporation (OMPC) dug into the hillside hoping to strike oil. Instead, they hit a water source. 

Other river contamination news:

• Times-Standard (Eureka, Calif.): Town hall dives into pesticides in Smith River plain